Reflective Parenting for Tweens & Teens
Reflective parenting isn’t about perfect responses, it’s about understanding what’s really going on (within you and them). Adolescence is a time of enormous change: relationships shift, emotions rise, misunderstandings multiply. And so often parenting becomes a reactive cycle of managing behavior instead of nurturing connection.
Rooted in Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT), reflective parenting helps you pause and ask:
What’s really going on in me right now?
What might be happening in my child underneath the attitude, the silence, or the outburst?
With compassion, we’ll explore your thoughts, your feelings, and the meaning behind your reactions. We will also gently consider what your child might be experiencing, especially when it seems confusing or irrational. This reflective space builds empathy, clarity, and emotional presence; qualities that create long-term closeness, even through conflict.
You’ll feel seen and understood, not because your child is suddenly enlightened, but because you and I will understand you. That understanding is what shifts your nervous system, your choices, and your relationship.
This will be especially helpful if:
You find yourself triggered, confused, or resentful in the relationship with your tween or teen
You’re repeating patterns from your own upbringing that you hoped to avoid
You’re longing for closeness but don’t know how to reach your child anymore
You want to raise your child with respect, emotional safety, and dignity
Together we’ll help you:
Understand common emotional traps and parenting missteps that create distance
Slow down reactions so you can respond with more insight and intention
Repair after conflict without shame or guilt
Learn how to balance warmth, boundaries, and leadership
Create a parenting rhythm rooted in trust not control
Reflective parenting doesn’t mean you’ll never mess up, it means you’ll know how to repair, and keep showing up. It’s not just about who you’re raising, it’s also about who you’re becoming in the process.